ALLEN PARK -- Jesse James comes to the Lions as a three-year starter in a high-powered offense in which he topped 400 yards last season.

Compared to Detroit’s standard of tight end play, that alone looks like a major improvement. But they’re not the only ones looking for immensely more out of the position.

Detroit’s new tight end arrived in Allen Park on Thursday with a low, soft tone but expectations as oversized as his 6-foot-7-inch frame. His production from last year was double what Detroit got from the likes of Luke Willson, Levine Toilolo and Michael Roberts, but he didn’t sign a four-year, $22.6 million deal just to continue being what he was.

“I had some success in Pittsburgh, but I feel like things could have been better,” James said. “Offensively, I wasn’t used the ways I feel I could be used here. I feel like my ceiling is going to be much higher than it was in the past."

James, 24, grew up in a southwest suburb of Pittsburgh. He played at the big state school up the road at Penn State before he got that call so many kids dream of, with his hometown team drafting him in the fifth round in 2015.

The Steelers averaged 11 wins a season in his four years there with three trips to the playoffs. They finished in the top 10 in offensive yards all four seasons. And yet when his rookie deal was up, James seemed as ready as anyone to move on.

He was looking for stability after the dramatic end in Pittsburgh, which he compared to the Kardashians. And though he was mostly a bystander in the storm that sent Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown out of town, he, too, was ready to finally spread his wings.

With 6-7 height and 33-inch arms, James hopes he spreads them on critical downs more. Splitting time with Vance McDonald, James played mostly first and second downs and then came out of the game on third. He caught just nine touchdowns in four seasons as the Steelers fed plenty of other mouths. It’s not going to be the same situation here, where the Lions have little receiver depth behind Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay and no other set tight end on the roster.

“I feel like I’m going to be a key part of this offense,” James said.

Detroit hasn’t had a true red-zone threat at the position since Joseph Fauria’s brief foray. Eric Ebron didn’t become that until he left the Lions and put up 13 scores in a Pro Bowl year with the Colts.

The tight end position has haunted an organization that has drafted two in the first round in the past decade and yet has not found that force in the red zone. Matt Patricia’s Patriots were defined by it with Rob Gronkowski, so much so that the Lions tried and failed to trade for him last season. New offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s Seahawks traded for such a threat in Jimmy Graham, and he racked up 10 touchdowns their final year together in 2017.

But Detroit’s only score from the position in the final 10 games last year came on a fake field goal thrown by Matt Prater. Taylor Decker caught just as many touchdowns in that span, and he plays left tackle.

It’s still theoretical with James, and the Lions know how that goes. They added Willson at this time last year and had the same hopes for what a feature role would bring him, but that experiment fell flat.

It’s a priority now, though, and it’s what James believes he’ll eventually bring to an offense that misses its potential more than not.

“I think we have the quarterback -- a franchise quarterback," James said. "Stafford is an unbelievable competitor. He’s fought through some stuff, injuries in the past, and I have a ton of respect for him. I feel like we have a similar mindset going into things. We are willing to put it all on the line to get a win for the team.”